An international survey conducted by information provider Lexis-Nexis reveals that six out of 10 professionals feel that the quality of their work sometimes suffers because they can’t sort through information fast enough. What’s worse, employees report spending more than half of their work day receiving and managing information rather than using it to do their jobs. And as much as half of all that information is not important to getting their jobs done, they say.

How can you combat this information overload? It’s all about setting boundaries, and taking control of your time and attention. Here are two strategies:

One, don’t feel obligated to immediately read every e-mail, newsfeed or IM that arrives, and don’t create this expectation of your team. Just as answering machines and then voice mail liberated professionals from answering every call, inbox tools can free you from reading—and having to respond to—every message as you receive it. Prioritize incoming mail so you can deal with the most important messages first; tools such as Gmail’s Priority Inbox, Nelson Email Organizer for Outlook or even the “rules” functions included in Outlook, Entourage and other programs can help you manage your e-mail more efficiently.

Actively managing your time is another key strategy. Choose the three tasks you need to accomplish during your workday and plan your schedule to achieve that goal. Schedule specific, limited times to check e-mail, read newsfeeds or make yourself available for instant messaging—for example, for an hour in the morning, at noon and again at the end of the workday.